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After 7 whole years, Black Butler has finally gotten an anime sequel that a lot of fans, including myself, have been waiting for. Ever since Book of Atlantic came out, we've asked ourselves about what's next in store for us, anticipating what's coming next. And now that the continuation is here, one question remains: Was the wait worth it? In my opinion, it is, in fact, worth the wait. Not only being an amazing adaptation of the manga, but also being a very solid arc overall.

As we know, this season's Black Butler was adapted by a different studio, and while some people were excited, some ... were worried too. But now that it has finished, I can definitely say that there wasn't anything to be concerned about. It is without a doubt as great as previous seasons, specifically Book of Circus, Murder, and Atlantic. There were, however, some dislikes among people about the anime's new artstyle in particular. Saying that the Public School arc's art is not only more colorful and about how Sebastian's design is worse, but also that the overall tone and vibe are not darker than previous seasons. For the latter, it is clearly not the case. While there were more comedic scenes and less tension at the beginning, slowly but surely, it builds up as it usually goes with Black Butler, reminding us that it is overall a dark fantasy and mystery. As for the former, there's not much to say other than the fact that, at the end, it all comes down to preference. Personally, both are good in their own perspective ways. However, regarding Sebastian, some people have judged too quickly, I won't go into too many details, but all that needs to be said is that it didn't need to be a concern after all. All in all, CloverWorks has done an overall good job with this adaptation.

Now, as for the plot itself, after the whole event at Book of the Atlantic, Ciel and Sebastian entering a public school to investigate the disappearances of students may seem underwhelming at first, but the start's similar for the majority of the arcs adapted already. This arc itself could simply be considered a build-up for the series' overarching story, or, in other words, the calm before the storm. Even taking into account the subtle foreshadowings and mysteries revealed. This has always been one of Black Butler's biggest charms.

To sum it up, even with A-1 Pictures being out of the picture, this season has managed to retain the qualities of the previous seasons, even with a studio and art style change. and overall, worth waiting for a long time. As of writing this, there hasn't been any announcement of a sequel, aside from a post-credit scene indicating of Emerald Witch, Black Butler's next arc. But again, even if it takes weeks, months, or even years, it wouldn't be a problem as long as it remains to receive good treatments.

With the amount of anime increasing every year, there's bound to have ones that are overlooked or unrecognized, for instance, Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement. Appearing in the low-middle side from Winter 2023 shows and being perceived as "one of those generic isekai" we get in each season, what some people may not know is how the concept's distinctive from most out there.

From the beginning, we get to learn that Mitsuha Yamano, our main character, has the ability to transport between worlds at will and at any given time. And from this information she obtained, she plans on saving 80,000 ... gold (which is equivalent to 2 billion yen) for her retirement where she'll preserve 40,000 gold in each world in case Mitsuha loses the capacity to go back and forth. Now while i wouldn't call the story amazing or anything close, it certainly manages to keep me entertained in every episode. Seeing the different methods she comes up with and the various items of her world she brings to the other world to sell's a pleasant sight. With the mix of fantasy, slice of life, comedy, adventure and even action at times, it brings a nice amount of variety to the table.

As for the characters, the only notable character in this entire series' Mitsuha. Where the enjoyment largely depends whether or not you like her. In my case, i do a lot. Even though she appears to be a cute little child, she's actually shown to be an intelligent, calm and a rational person. She's also good at acting and can even be cunning at times. I appreciate how Mitsuha isn't some one dimensional character or how she isn't those kind of self-insert protagonists we see very often within this theme. On the contrary, the rest of the cast have nothing to write home about. Some people may call them to be unremarkable and bland and while i wouldn't necessarily disagree with that, it doesn't take out the overall entertainment we get from this anime. As long as you like Mitsiha's antics, you will most definitely enjoy it.

I admit however, that the animation and music are pretty average, which can be considered barely passable. The former being plain and unexceptional which doesn't make it stand out from any other series, whereas the latter are pretty forgettable and underwhelming. There were no soundtracks that wants to make me jam at the music which is a bit unfortunate.

Overall, while this anime's not necessarily outstanding, it certainly is far from being horrible. Its' fresh concept is a nice change of pace we see from the numberous isekai anime in recent years. If you simply want an fun, cozy and joyful anime, then i'd recommend this anime.